A Heart-to-Heart Talk
by What Does The Faux Say
Summary: As Penelope Spectra is floating through the Ghost Zone, bruised from her defeat at the hands of Danny Phantom, she stumbles into the secret lab of someone with the best mental issues she's ever tasted: Vlad Masters.


** Author's Note:** This story is set just after the episode 'Maternal Instinct'. It was written for Phanniemay 2014.

* * *

><p>Penelope Spectra floated through the weightless space of the Ghost Zone, wrinkled and barely conscious. The Fenton Peeler had wrecked her body; she had lost all the emotion she'd consumed, leaving her a white-haired ghost crone. She didn't know where Bertrand was; he'd been blown to some other part of the Ghost Zone when the Thermos blasted its contents back through the Fenton Portal. She didn't know how long it had been since she'd been sent back. Days? Weeks? More?<p>

As she floated, Spectra thought back on what had happened. The girl... Jazz Fenton... she'd come in with some strange weapon, and then— _tearing_, and everything she'd worked so hard for was gone. Gone! She couldn't even turn into her shadow self now.

The natural background radiation of the Ghost Zone would heal her a little. In time, she'd stop feeling like her headache would _literally_ split her in two— but Spectra knew she was sunk as long as she stayed here. The only way to get her youth back was out in the mortal world. If she could find some lovely negative emotions to feed off of, she'd be able to set herself up comfortably once again.

But first, she had to find another way out of the Ghost Zone. The rift the Thermos had shot her through— the Fenton portal— had sealed behind her. It would take a long search before... ?

A very familiar scent perked Spectra up from the fugue she'd slumped into. A current of emotion. Richer than coffee, more delicious than the sweetest dessert... _human misery_. And [Spectra opened her eyes] it was coming from another gateway between worlds!  
>Exerting the energy she had left, Spectra floated towards and through the circular gateway.<p>

She emerged in a dark lab. The current of misery was strong enough that Spectra could absorb a little from the air. Not much, but enough to get her strength back. She wouldn't meet the unlucky wretch looking a_ total_ wreck.  
>The 'wretch' was sitting in a corner, his back to Spectra. From the portal, Spectra couldn't see much of him. The man had black hair, up in a dual-pointed hairstyle much like Spectra's own. He wore a white jumpsuit; a cape with a high collar slumped over his shoulders. Despair wafted off of him like perfume.<p>

"Hello?" said Spectra. Time to meet her new meal ticket.  
>The man turned, raised one hand— and Spectra saw his teal skin and red eyes. It was another ghost! But... a ghost with masses of angst that, by the smell of it, was pre-death human. What on earth had she stumbled into? Was this like that boy in Casper High?<p>

The man... the ghost... whoever he was leveled his hand at Spectra, as though he was about to blast her. Before he did, though, he slumped over. A nugget of ecto-energy he was holding fizzled. "What's the use...?" he said, mostly to himself.  
>Spectra smiled. It looked like <em>someone<em> was in need of some light consolation. Floating over to the man, she sat down next to him on the lab's floor, pushing aside a stack of junk.

"Are you all right?" she said, gently. Adults needed a more 'caring' approach, with the peppiness toned down.  
>The ghost muttered something. Spectra leaned closer to hear him.<br>"She could have come back. She said she'd..." He groaned. "And then... she left, and her son... _drained_ me... why? Why couldn't I have them?"

This looked promising. "Don't forget," said Spectra. "'Why' is the beginning of 'Y-O-U'! And I can help _you_ know what to do, if you tell me about yourself."  
>The ghost shifted his position, staying hunched.<br>"Come on," Spectra gently prompted. "I'm Spectra. What's your name?"

"Vlad." Black rings floated around the ghost for a moment, transforming him... into a human, wearing a formal suit. "Vlad Masters."  
>At the sight of the transformation, Spectra thrilled internally. Vlad was a half-ghost, like that boy! The real question: was this a weak spot for him? Or were his mental soft spots focused around the 'she' Vlad kept mumbling about?<p>

"Nice to meet you, Vlad," Spectra said, placing her hand over his. "Now..."  
>Spectra concentrated, her eyes unfocusing as she began to absorb Vlad's despair. Time to see just who Vlad Masters was... <em>inside.<em>

Vlad's emotional landscape was riven. From her 'vantage point', Spectra could see the façade of imperturbability Vlad wore, suspended above a broken landscape swirling with ambition, envy, loneliness— and beneath all that, a trio of urges driving everything. Two: the desire for a family, and love— lust, really— for a jumpsuited woman. The third, a deep and abiding hatred. The target of Vlad's loathing had his mental image obscured, blotted out by stains and rips of emotion.

Spectra smiled as she finished feeding on the loose sadness and anger. There was enough food here to keep her looking her best for a week— and just from one episode! Now, she only needed to put everything in context.  
>"...tell me about your troubles."<p>

Vlad angrily shook Spectra off. "Go away! Get out of my house! Leave me..." His anger died. He slumped over again, gritting his teeth.  
>"...alone..."<br>Spectra hovered closer to Vlad, keeping her tone mildly upbeat. "'Alone' is just a little extra added to 'one', you know," she said. "So it only takes _one_ to be al_one_, but with _two_, we can talk _twogether!"_

Vlad Masters glared. "That is the most terrible attempt at puns I have ever heard, and I have to listen to Daniel's 'witty banter'."  
>"Sorry," Spectra said. She'd do better off with 'serious' here. "I was just trying to cheer you up a little."<br>Vlad pulled a face. "You might as well go back through that portal and leave me be, if you really want to do some good." He pointed at the glowing gap.  
>"I wouldn't be so sure," said Spectra. She walked around the half-ghost, staying close to him, ending in front of him, and looked Vlad right in the eyes. "I can help. Just... tell me what it is that left you like this."<p>

Vlad told her.

The more Spectra heard, the more wonderful things sounded. Vlad Masters was miserable! All the time! She wouldn't even have to exploit his insecurities; he did it himself! Well... [she corrected herself] she wouldn't have to exploit them _much_. It'd still be funny, every so often.

Spectra slipped back around Vlad, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. She'd eaten all his loose emotions already, but it was worth it to just admire Vlad's mindscape again, broken with possibility.  
>"This is going to be <em>excellent,<em>" she said to herself. "Vlad here has enough negative emotions to keep me young _forever!_" Absentmindedly, Spectra began rubbing Vlad's back. "And then, once I'm established again in this world..." She smiled. "I can get my revenge on the Fentons! It'll be glorious!"

Spectra knew she'd slipped up when Vlad tensed under her grip.  
>"Did you say 'Fenton'?" he asked.<br>She'd been monologuing out loud. Now, in a panic, Spectra replayed the last few minutes in her head. She'd seen Vlad's mindscape... he'd told her about Maddie and Daniel...

_**Daniel!**_  
>Now it made sense. 'Daniel' was none other than Danny Fenton, the ghost boy she'd previously tangled with at Casper High. This could be <em>very<em> useful, if she played her cards right.  
>Taking her hand off Vlad's shoulder, Spectra swung around to talk to Mr. Masters face-to-face. "Your 'Daniel's Danny Fenton, isn't it? That's who you were talking about a moment ago."<br>Vlad might have still been down in the dumps, but now he had something to focus on. His gaze sharpened until it felt piercing. "Yes," he said suspiciously, staring at Spectra. "Yes, he is."  
>Vlad Masters concentrated, and shards of purple energy began to appear in his hand. All of them pointed at Spectra. "The question is... how do <em>you<em> know that?"

Spectra didn't answer. Instead, she said, "You've had run-ins with him before, haven't you. It wasn't just this one time."  
>Vlad's hesitance was all the proof she needed. Spectra smiled, watching Vlad's face carefully. "Multiple times?"<br>The subtlest of microtwitches.

"And every time..." said Spectra, knowing Vlad would respond. As she expected, he grimaced. The shards he was controlling flickered.

"Every time, he defeats you in some humiliating manner." The words came out angrier than Spectra had expected. "And just when you think you're going to win, he blasts you or peels you or some nonsense and at the end of it you're stuffed into that tiny tin can he calls a thermos and tossed back into the Ghost Zone!" She couldn't stop herself. "And through it all he just stands there laughing and grinning as he makes those _puns_ of..."

Spectra stopped, realizing she had just let her façade slip. Vlad was looking at her like a cat chosen to guard a brood of chicks.  
>"...—er, I mean," she covered, "there's only a 'you' in 'failure' if you spell it out!"<br>Spectra hurriedly grinned.

There was a pause. Then, Vlad Masters got to his feet. The despair that animated him before was buried now. Now, Spectra could sense a combination of malevolence and smug pleasure. It wasn't as delicious as Vlad's despair, but all the same, it was... intoxicating.

Vlad smiled at Spectra. "My dear..." he said, looking straight at her, "it would seem we're more alike than you'd care to admit."  
>Spectra looked back at Vlad, taking a step closer. The air between them crackled with emotion. "Well, I wouldn't say that to just anybody, but..." Spectra's faux-cheery grin faded, replaced with a look of true satisfaction. "...we are. And in my business, two heads are <em>always<em> better than one."  
>Vlad moved towards her. He and Spectra were very close now; their faces almost touched. After a moment, Spectra took Vlad by the hand.<p>

"My dear Spectra..." Vlad said, "I believe it's time for some... _teamwork._"

And Danny Fenton's life would never be the same again.


End file.
